The 5 worst current MLB contracts we're thankful the Mets avoided adding to the payroll

2) Kris Bryant

Kris Bryant seemed perfect for the Mets, didn’t he? As either a third baseman or outfielder, many of us wanted him. What is it with those 2016 World Series Champion Cubs players? Maybe 2016 is just further behind than we like to admit.

Bryant ended up with an even bigger contract than Baez. He signed for seven years and $182 million to join the Colorado Rockies. The deal happened the same winter as Baez with the Mets, instead, choosing to go the shorter term route with players like Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha to fill needs Bryant could have.

Bryant hasn’t been particularly good for Colorado. His bigger issue has been health. He played in only 42 games in 2022. In 2023, he did appear in 80 but with only a .233/.313/.367 slash line and 10 home runs.

The 2016 MVP has also become more of a DH than a player who actually brings any value on defense. We can debate which deal would’ve been worse for the Mets. At least Baez is healthy and can field. Bryant isn’t doing much of anything even with 81 games on the schedule in a hitter’s paradise.

3) Carlos Correa

The biggest near-Met on this list is Carlos Correa. The team agreed to a deal worth over $300 million with the star shortstop with plans of having him be the third baseman. After the San Francisco Giants had already backed out of their offer, the Mets scurried to offer him a little less. Then some poor medicals had the two sides disagreeing on a new deal.

The original deal was reportedly for 12 years and $315 million. The final one was just six years and $157 million guaranteed.

He’d eventually end up earning a bit more on his six year deal worth $200 million to return to the Minnesota Twins. Using the word “earn” is being nice as Correa wasn’t so excellent in his first season.

In 2023, Correa batted .230/.312/.399. He grounded into a league-leading 30 double plays despite playing in only 135 games. Staying on the field was a problem for Correa during his time with the Houston Astros. He hasn’t been completely M.I.A. with the Twins, but less than 140 games twice and an IL stint already in 2024 should have us breathing a sigh of relief.

What’s more, the sudden maturity of Brett Baty as a major league third baseman makes this an expensive bullet we should be glad the team dodged. Correa is a fine player when healthy but gosh does earning over $30 million a year feel like it could even hamper a Steve Cohen-led club.

4) Jameson Taillon

Jameson Taillon is earning much less than some others on this list. However, he was very much a Mets free agent target prior to the 2023 season. Coming off of a respectable season with the New York Yankees, he secured himself a four-year contract worth $68 million from the Chicago Cubs.

The best ability of anyone in any industry is availability. Taillon is already on the IL. After his first year with the Cubs, fans aren’t too eager for him to return.

Taillon did manage to make 29 starts and a relief appearance in 2023. The results weren’t great. At 8-10 with a 4.84 ERA in 154.1 innings of work, he was very much a below-average innings eater.

The Mets actually look like they came away from the 2022-2023 offseason pretty clean. The Kodai Senga signing, despite his own injury, looks like a bargain. Jose Quintana has been good when healthy and even if he struggles the deal is less expensive than Taillon’s by a wide margin and over after the 2024 season.

Throughout his career, Taillon has been maybe slightly above average at best. One of those Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers the Yankees hoped could follow in the footsteps of Gerrit Cole, Joe Musgrove, and others by leaving the team and becoming a star, it looks like the Cubs are the ones who might get the least from him.

5) Lucas Giolito

Everybody and their mothers wanted the Mets to sign Lucas Giolito this past offseason. He made total sense. A short-term prove it deal for the 29-year-old righty with some good seasons in the past fit right into the mold of what David Stearns was trying to accomplish. He ended up with the Boston Red Sox on what has become a disastrous waste of money.

Giolito will get paid $18 million this year to recover from Tommy John Surgery. He didn’t throw a single pitch in the regular season nor will he. Next year, he has a player option. Undoubtedly something he’ll take advantage of, the Red Sox owe him another $19 million guaranteed. There is a $14 million team option for 2026 which could turn out to benefit the Red Sox. Financially, it’s a disaster with all of the money they’ll pay him first.

There’s no telling whether or not Giolito would have ended up with a major injury if he signed with the Mets instead. In fact, we can’t assume Baez would be so terrible, Bryant would fall off a Rocky Mountain, etc. if they were members of the Amazins. Nevertheless, we can rejoice with some solace knowing it’s somebody else’s problem to deal with.